Sheldon Silver Rival Wants You to See Red Over Blue Building

To the left you’ll see an invitation to a brunch (intercepted by Curbed) in honor of Paul Newell, the upstart Democrat trying to unseat Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver in this fall’s primary. Part of Newell’s campaign strategy is to win over the post-ethnic young population that sloshes all over the neighborhood these days. He figures that the bloggers who have come out for Obama (one of his idols) will find his message of change appealing. But in this invitation, he’s chosen to take aim at one of the most elegant icons of the neighborhood’s gentrification: the Blue Building, a luxury condo complex that leans over the intersection of Norfolk and Delancey. Newell invites you to spend $75 to “beat Sheldon Silver, who takes money from taxpayers & gives it to b/millionaire developers to build $2 million–per-unit condos like this one.” There’s an asterisk (isn’t there always) which laterexplains:

The builders of this beauty received at least a 15 year tax abatement on property taxes and gave over $200,000 to lobbyists between 2006 and 2008. That’s right, you subsidizedthis.

Mmm. We’d rather go to a brunch dedicated to neutering every person who drives in to wait in line at Libation each weeknight. Can you see about that, Paul? That would be change we could believein.